UNITED STATES FUTSAL FEDERATION
 

UNITED STATES FUTSAL FEDERATION

The USFF was founded to promote the sport of Futsal and provide standards for the sport  Futsal State Associations. Its goals are to:

• Supervise the youth (defined as a player under the age of 19 years), and senior (defined as a player over the age of 19 years) level of competition at the local and national level.

• Resolve questions and controversies not adjustable under the rules of the Futsal State Associations concerned.

• Manage the State and National Futsal Cups.

• Conduct clinics to educate players, coaches, and referees about Futsal.

• Manage and support the National Futsal Teams for inter- national competition.

In today's society, because of emphasis on physical fitness, the role of sports has taken on increasing importance for both youth and adults. For many disadvantaged youth, sports are recreation and also the only viable alternative to the confines of their environment (gangs, crime, drugs, etc). The value of the Federation, therefore, is that it provides goodwill through the physical fitness derived from Futsal, and to promote a productive outlet for the disadvantaged youth in our society.

Since its founding in 1980, the Federation has grown to an organization with 40,000 members. Most of the present membership (90%) is comprised of youth, although the ranks of the senior players are growing. Our membership has a diverse spectrum of ethnic backgrounds: African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Caucasian, etc. The USFF has actively sought avenues through which it can promote Futsal by working with other organizations.

• In May of 1986, the 1.27 million-member Boys and Girls Club of America adopted Futsal as an "Olympic Focus Sport" and began introducing the game to its 1,100 affiliated clubs throughout the United States.

• In June, 1986, the 350,000 member American Youth Soccer Association became an associate member for the purpose of learning more about the game.

• The Federation is also working to affiliate with the YMCA, NCAA, National High School Association of America, and the National Junior College Association. Counting all state associations, national associations and leagues, there are approximately 112,000 people participating in this sport in the United States.

• Clinics

  The Federation maintains a current schedule of twelve yearly Futsal clinics to meet the rising demand of the national youth organizations (i.e. Boys and Girls Club of America [BGCA], Young Men's Christian Association [YMCA], and Catholic Youth Organization [CYO]). The Federation offers several different types of clinics: instructional clinics for players at the youth and senior levels, and educational clinics for coaches and referees. The clinics were developed with two purposes in mind:
  

• To give people more exposure to the sport of Futsal.

• To educate players, coaches and referees on playing, officiating, and understanding the game.
  

• National Competition

  This network of competition gives youth the opportunity to compete at various levels, allowing good athletes an avenue to participate at a higher level of competition. Participating teams range from the under twelve (U-12) to senior level play for both men and women. This not only furthers the sport, but also teaches young people the concept of team work, giving them a healthier outlook for other life experiences. There is a National Futsal Championship held each year, (this years being the 12th consecutive one) to determine the best teams in the country at various age levels. The host State for the National Championship is rotated annually so that different regions of the United States can be prominently represented.
  

• International Competition

  At the amateur level of competition the Federation manages player selection for the National Seniors Team for the Pan-American Games as well as in Confederation, Pacific Cup, North American Cup, and World Cup competition.
  

U.S. FUTSAL PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Alexander J.C. Para, President and Chief Executive Officer of United States Futsal, the National Governing Body of the sport of Futsal (indoor soccer) in the United States. Originally elected President of USFF after having served for six years a Executive Vice-President in 1986, Alex Para has guided USFF to national stature and its integration into The United States Soccer Federation..

As Vice-President of FIFUSA, he was involved with the integration of member nations of FIFUSA into FIFA in 1989, and since then has been a member of FIFA's Futsal Committee. He currently is a member of the Board of Directors of United States Soccer.

Reelected to his fourth term (until February 2001) as U.S. Futsal President at the Annual General meeting in New York, August of 1996, one of his future goals is to be the host nation for FIFA's fifth Futsal World Championship, in the year 2004.

Alex Para has spent most of his life in sports, both as a participant and as an executive. He played soccer at Chabot College, and at the University of California at Berkeley, and also at the amateur level for teams in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has served on the board of local youth soccer, and has been an active referee since 1972. He has been a referee at the professional level in leagues such as the NASL, MISL, ASL, and APSL and become a National Soccer Referee in 1985. He became an International Futsal Referee in 1984, having refereed in the first North American Futsal Cup (1984), the Pan American Futsal Championship in Brasil(1984), the Second FIFUSA World Championship in Spain (1985), the First Pacific Cup Championship in Australia (1987), and the second Pacific Cup Championship in Mexico (1989). He retired as a Futsal Referee when he became a member of FIFA's Futsal Committee in 1990.

U.S. FUTSAL CHAIRMAN 

Frank L. Bonardi is the Executive Vice-President of the United States Futsal Federation. Mr. Bonardi joined the Federation Board as an Athlete representative of the Board of Directors in 1985. He was a member of the National Team from 1984 to 1988. During that time he was involved as a goalkeeper in 23 international games.

The Executive Committee, compromising five members the  Chairman, President, two Vice Presidents and the Treasurer.

Futsal's ever increasing popularity, its overwhelming attraction for the young, its growing economic, social and political impact and finally the attention that the media devote to it at the last Futsal World Championship when it was transmitted to 101 countries, are all factors which turn it into a tempting springboard for advertisers. The enormous growth in this sector has prompted U.S. Futsal to conclude long- term contracts with various partners. This ensures the means for U.S. Futsal to go about its own administration and make possible national development programs.

Promoting and developing futsal is one of U.S. Futsal's principal tasks. It is, however, no less the responsibility of U.S. Futsal to maintain traditional sporting values, whether providing and ensuring fair play, through continual work in the education care of young people, or by improving the health of sportsmen in general. Top competitive competition in the United States, which is the National Championship, is only a minute part of the National Futsal movement. Yet another responsibility of U.S. Futsal is to harness the tumultuous publicity surrounding top Futsal to spread its growth among the masses.

Futsal is a recreational activity and that is the way it should be. Futsal in the service of society and not vice-versa.

State Associations

National State Associations are the backbone of the Federation. These National State Associations work closely with U.S. Futsal in promoting Futsal at the grass roots level in the various sates.

In addition to the National Championship, that is held every year for 8 different categories, U.S. Futsal is also involved in sending teams to other International Competitions, such as the World University Games, the Joao Havelange Cup in Brazil, the North American Cup and the Pacific Cup for clubs.

The Futsal National Championship is the largest Futsal-sport event in the country. A staggering total of more than 700 start competing for this event, in which the finalist get together for a week of elimination each year.

The National Championship evolved from its roots in the mid 80th, when it was first started with one one group. The Men's Futsal National Championship, The First Championship held in Reno, Nevada in 1984, was won by the Eagles Futsal team. Since then it has grown to include the Men's, Women, Under 19 Boys and Girls, the Under 16 Boys and Girls, the Under 12 Boys and Girls Division. Originally, the National Championship was set at eight teams per category, but that will be expanded to sixteen teams per category by 2004.

National Champions 1986 to Present

Introduced in Holland in January 1989 and since 1992 to be played every four years according to the  Laws of the Game for Futsal published by FIFA. The host country is automatically qualified for the final competition.